


Ghost Children

by tqchnosblade



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Boys Being Boys, Dream SMP Ensemble Meet, Dream Team SMP Roleplay (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Light Angst, Lmanberg vs pogtopia, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Survival Horror, Unsettling, Violence, Web Series: Tales from the SMP, horror but also not really, implied karlnap but theyre platonic, kids being kids, ranboo being dumb, tales from the smp reference, tommyinnit being dumb, tubbo being dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 16:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tqchnosblade/pseuds/tqchnosblade
Summary: Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo go against their elders and decide to pay Pogtopia a visit. But not without something going wrong.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Ghost Children

**Author's Note:**

> this was ib ghost children from the coraline soundtrack!! also i was lowkey kinda sleep deprived when i wrote this but i revised it a bit. may not be the best but i’m always open to suggestions!! also idrk how to tag so,, oopsies!! enjoy <3

L’manberg summers weren’t nice.

Tommy groaned, the harsh waves of heat and sun rays hitting his skin. Ranboo, a newer friend, and Tubbo, his best friend, accompanied him. 

It was an ordinary day for the trio; wandering around aimlessly in an attempt to cure their boredom. Tommy had run out of things to build, Ranboo was still trying to adjust, and Tubbo was alone in his presidency. 

“Where are we even going?” Tubbo asked, glancing at his blonde friend. 

“I don’t know, Tubbo. There’s barely anything to do!” Tommy whined, his voice cracking. 

Rolling his eyes, Tubbo gave a suggestion, “Well why don’t we visit Pogtopia?”

Tension in the air shifted as Tommy went quiet. “No. Why should we? It’s abandoned for a reason.” 

“You’re a rulebreaker, right? Everyone tells us to stay away from there. So, at 3:00 am sharp we should go! Nobody can catch us.” Tubbo puffed out his chest, feeling proud of his masterplan.

Tommy and Tubbo bickered, torn between going and not. 

“Something is telling me we’re gonna sneak in anyways.” Ranboo spoke. 

“You’re a smart fella.” Tommy held out his fist only to be hi-fived by Ranboo. “Apparently not.”

Nightfall arrived faster than Ranboo anticipated. He scanned his area; Techno’s house was dark meaning he was either hunting or asleep — Ranboo prayed it was the latter. In preparation, he grabbed one of his memory books, ready to document whatever happened. 

After a while, the lanky boy found his way to their designated meet-up spot. Tommy and Tubbo were mid conversation, coming to an abrupt stop at his presence. 

“Alright boys, we ready?” Tommy held on tight to his torch, receiving nods from the other two. 

Their beloved L’manberg was rather ominous at night. An eerie silence, only faint chirps of crickets, hums of lamps, and other various white noise occupying the minds of those who wandered. Ranboo was quick to pick up on this unsettling feeling, a pit of uneasiness forming in his gut. 

Something was telling him this wouldn’t end well.

Tommy and Tubbo seemed to pay no attention to it. The two kept conversation, bickering over who would be keeping watch for anyone outside with them and pesky mobs. It ended with Tubbo now having torch duty and Tommy wielding his sword. 

“Do you ever think about what happened that day?” Tubbo asked. 

“Sometimes. I choose to ignore it though, I’m a big and tough man.” Tommy replied, patting his chest. 

“What happened exactly..? Why doesn’t anyone want us exploring?” Ranboo questioned. 

“Boy do we have a sto-“ Tubbo stopped in his tracks, causing Ranboo to bump into him. Tommy let out a cuss, nearly tripping over his own feet. 

“What? Did you see something?” Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed while he analyzed their surroundings. Subconsciously, he moved in front of Tubbo, ready to protect him at any given moment. 

“No, but I did hear something - or someone. Eh, I’m sure it’s nothing though. Let’s keep going boys!” Tubbo brushed it off, nonchalantly leading the group again. 

“Are we there yet? I forget how long it takes.” Tommy swung his sword around carelessly, nearly hitting his friends a few times. 

“First of all - stop doing that you’re gonna kill one of us on accident. Second, we’re like 10 feet away calm down big man.” Tubbo answered. 

True to his word, 10 feet away was an abandoned Pogtopia. That once uneasy feeling Ranboo had infected the others like a virus. They seemed hesitant to enter; almost as if something was waiting for them. 

“Tommy you go in first.” Tubbo pushed him, receiving a large amount of swears. 

“What the fuck? Goddamnit Tubbo! Christ, this place is creepy.” Tommy shuddered, trading off his sword for the torch once more. 

“Shall we take turns telling the story?” Tubbo asked, taking a moment to stare at the button filled walls. 

“You can start. You already know the history of this right? Just not the war?” Tommy kept his eyes ahead of him, making sure not to fall over anything. 

Ranboo nodded, almost being hit with nausea at the sight of all the dust, insects, and especially buttons. It looked like someone had gone crazy. Why were they so obsessed with buttons?

“Get ready to write this one down in your book memory boy.” Tommy looked back at him. 

Ranboo nervously laughed, being careful not to step on anything possibly dangerous. 

“Manberg vs Pogtopia. We all know how that went down - got ready for this huge revolution so we didn’t have to deal with Schlatt’s reign of terror any longer. Turns out, Schlatt’s heart problems did the job for us. It was a little disappointing but nevertheless a relief,” Tubbo sighed before continuing.

“Though, one thing that he said shortly before his death has still stuck with me.” 

“What was it?”

“You know if I die, this country goes down with me.” Schlatt grasped onto his suit, his heart coming to a slow stop. This was it. This was the end for him and his leadership. Before being able to get in another word, he collapsed - his alcohol bottle breaking, dying as soon as he made contact with the floor. 

Cheers uproared from everyone in the drug van. 

“We killed an old man with heart problems pog!” Techno celebrated. 

It was truly a moment of bliss for everyone. No more Schlatt to worry about or deal with. Perhaps this was a start to peace and harmony in L’manberg. Just how they’d always wanted. 

“So, after Schlatt dropped dead, we all went up to the podium. To no surprise, I was the first pick for president.” Tommy lifted his chin, condescension in his tone. “But, I couldn’t do it.” He almost sounded disappointed. 

“So, who was it after you?” Ranboo looked down at him, head tilted to the side. 

Handing his presidency off to Wilbur, Tommy stepped off the podium. Wilbur began his message, though it was brief and much shorter than Tommy’s. 

“And so in keeping with the theme, I am also going to do a change. That flag you see over there, the obsidian one, scrap it; that is not the national flag of our nation,” he looked over at the obsidian flag standing tall. “The national flag of our nation is yellow, black, red, white and blue and that’s how it should be. That’s one of the things I want changed.”

Wilbur’s eyes fell on his nation once again. “However, I.. also cannot be your president.”

“I’ll be the president if you want.” Dream spoke in a smug tone only to be turned down immediately. 

“You will not be our president,” Wilbur dismissed him, focusing on Technoblade. “Techno, you’ve taught me a lot. You taught me that government is not the way to go, and I agree with you.” 

After an approving look from Techno, Wilbur continued. “So, I’m gonna hand off the presidency to someone. This is something I want this to be one last time. It’s important to know how to say goodbye to a nation - to my L’manberg. And there’s only one other person who could possibly be the president.” With a deep breath, his gaze averted to the one and only.

“Tubbo, I want you to come up on to the stage.” 

A gleam in his eye, adrenaline in his veins, and a smile on his face, Tubbo made his way over to the podium. He had been waiting for this day; the day he finally got to call himself president. President of L’manberg, a nation he and those before him loved so very much. 

With no armor on, he looked at Wilbur with hopefulness. Hope in their nation progressing with only good. Hope in starting a better life for all. 

“You’re a good kid and even better spy.” Wilbur shook his hand before exiting the stage.

Anxious and ecstatic, Tubbo began. “Um - I’ve been put on the spot here, I wasn’t expected to be surrounded by here with friends, uh, enemies - which I don’t hate all that much I’ll be honest. But, I enjoy seeing the unity and I feel that’s really what matters.”

Tommy looked up at his best friend, a smile of pride. Tubbo smiled back in the middle of his speech. 

“Thank you everyone, it’s been an honor.” Tubbo ended. Claps and cheers arose once again from a nation full of peace and unity - until it happened. 

“That’s how I became president. It was a pretty good moment I’d say.” Tubbo smiled sadly. “But, it doesn’t end there. Tommy, take it away.”

“So was the traitor thing bullshit then?” Tommy asked as he began to help restore his nation. 

“Oh, no there was a traitor.” Dream answered. 

“What are you talking about?” Quackity asked. 

“Well they’ve missed their fucking chance now haven’t they?” Tommy shrugged it off. But the void in his stomach told him otherwise. 

“No, they haven’t.” Dream was quick to shoot him down. 

Wilbur was stood in front of the button. Signs of L’manberg’s song along the walls, a chair in the midst of the emptiness. He stared, his hand on the cement wall, less than 20 centimeters away from a button that would tear apart a whole nation once again. 

“The thing that I built this nation for doesn’t exist anymore! The thing I worked towards, doesn’t exist anymore. It’s over.” 

“What are you doing?” A voice came from behind. 

Reluctantly, Wilbur glanced behind him to see Phil - his father. With eyes wider than the moon, he began to get defensive. This wasn’t part of his plan. 

Meanwhile, newly appointed president - Tubbo - had been killed by Technoblade with fireworks. Everyone’s once peaceful demeanor switched to pure panic. They watched in horror, a menacing glare in Technoblade’s eyes. 

“You guys listen to me!” Technoblade stood his ground, a crossbow wielded in his left hand. “I did not spend weeks planning this revolution, giving you guys gear for you guys to go and replace one tyrant with another.” He made eye contact with Tommy, his grip getting tighter. 

“Don’t you see what’s happening here?! Don’t you see history repeating itself?! You think Schlatt was the cause of your problems? No! It was government. Power corrupts.”

“What the fuck are you saying?!” Fundy kept his distance, looking at Techno as if he were a monster - a freak. 

Techno’s voice was overpowered by sudden shots being fired. Everyone scattered, trying to spot who was attacking now. Without surprise, it was Dream and everyone accompanying him. 

Tommy panicked, pearling away. He made his way to a rooftop, looking for Tubbo amongst the chaos. Fireworks were going off, bystanders were shouting; filled with confusion and despair. 

“You know who was the traitor? Tommy, the traitor was Wilbur.” Dream said, approaching everyone. 

“Phil, there was a saying by a traitor, once part of L’manberg. A traitor I don’t know you’ve heard of; Eret.”

“Yeah.” Phil nodded, growing wearier by the second. 

“It was never meant to be.”

TnT went off once his hand hit the button. L’manberg was blowing up right in front of everyone’s eyes and nobody could do anything about it. To those who love their once unionized nation, this was pain beyond imaginable. A home they love, built together, cherished, created memories with - gone. In the blink of an eye. 

To Dream and Techno, this didn’t mean anything. It was nothing but a government full of tyrants, a playboard with pieces that could be used to Dream’s advantage. This piece of land meant nothing to them. Fools. All of them. 

Dream laughed, “YES!” escaping his mouth. He watched in pure amusement. Dream already knew this outcome was inevitable. This was their demise, a fate they could never have escaped. 

For Wilbur, he had no more unfinished symphony to worry about. There was no longer a place for him to call home - that had died long ago. A heavy weight lifted off his chest and shoulders; the explosion of his once home felt better than it should have. Wilbur felt like he was on cloud 9.

“My L’manberg, Phil. MY L’MANBERG. My unfinished symphony — forever unfinished!” Wilbur looked at the debris and chaos taking place. Mischief was written all over his face, and Phil knew things would only get worse. 

“So, that’s how it got blown up. Wilbur was a crazy motherfucker. Unfortunately, it only gets worse for him.” Tommy sighed, pained to remember his once elder brother. 

“Do it, Phil. Kill me. Phil, kill me.” Wilbur persisted, a crazed look in his eyes. 

Wielding his sword, Phil looked from the people of L’manberg, to Wilbur. “Y-You’re my son!” He cried out. 

Wilbur was apathetic to it. Pushing him to do it. To murder him in cold blood. “Phil kill me!” 

Tommy kicked a rock in front of him, reluctant to finish his portion. “So, Phil ended up killing him. We all watched... it was rather traumatizing, if I’m being honest.”

Life draining from his face and eyes whiter than snow rolling into the back of his head, Wilbur went limp and dropped dead. Phil fell to his knees, holding Wilbur’s cold, deceased body. His wings instinctively huddled Wil’s figure. Phil’s grasp was tight. He killed his own son, and everyone saw. 

“Then, Technoblade went on another one of his rambles. It was to me specifically. I don’t like thinking about it, but I’ll remember so I can get this shit over with.” Tommy shone his torch in a crevice only to be met with an empty cobweb. 

“You stay right there Tommy!” Technoblade aimed his crossbow at him. 

Tommy looked around for Tubbo, a sigh of relief once he saw his friend next to him. 

“Tommy, do you think you’re a hero? Is that what this is?” Techno taunted, his aim still steady. 

“I just wanted L’manberg.” 

“The thing about this world Tommy, is that good things don’t happen to heroes. Let me tell you a story, Tommy. The story of a man called Theseus.” Techno lowered his crossbow, but his gaze was of a hawk - he’s a predator, yet Tommy was nothing more than prey. 

“His country - well city state technically - was in danger. And he sent himself forward into enemy lines. He slayed the minotaur and saved his city. You know what they did to him, Tommy? They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people. That’s what happens to heroes, Tommy.”

“But he saved everyone.” Tubbo spoke in a small voice. 

“The Greeks knew the score. But if you want to be a hero Tommy, that’s fine.” Techno turned his back to everyone, setting up the withers. 

Phil, along with everyone else, stood and watched from the sidelines. Terror, anticipation, and fear filled them. There was no escaping this, anyone knew that. 

“Technoblade, don’t do this.” Tommy said. 

“You wanna be a hero, Tommy? Then die like one!”

“He summoned withers on us and it was just this huge ordeal. We were all still in so much shock from L’manberg being blown up. I mean that’s our home, man.” Tommy sighed.

Tubbo nodded in agreement. “Neither sides ended up winning. It really was a huge loss for everyone. Well, besides Wilbur and Technoblade.”

After they killed Techno’s withers, L’manberg’s people met at the L’mantree. It had gone untouched and was covered with obsidian walls. As long as the tree and people were there, L’manberg could live on as a nation. It didn’t matter if half of their land got blown up or their alcoholic president died - what mattered was the people who truly cared. Who put everything into L’manberg. Because without them, it was nothing more than ruins and a lost cause. 

Tommy and Tubbo left from the group and went to their sanctuary - their bench. It was a few solid minutes of quiet before Tommy got up and started talking. Tubbo listened attentively. 

“No matter what happens, it’s me and you versus Dream.” Tommy ended the story, trying to sound cool. 

“Oh.. wow. That’s a lot.” Ranboo commented, furiously writing.

“It really was! But hey, we’re doing better now.” Tubbo juggled the sword in his hands. 

Tommy’s poor attempts to copy Tubbo resulted in almost dropping the torch - nearly 5 times. Those beside laughed at him, mocking his flimsiness. 

But their lighthearted jokes were brought to a halt when Tommy’s face dropped. 

An intimidating silence filled the air for Tubbo.

“I’m not the only one who hears this..right?” Tommy looked like he’d just seen a ghost; skin pale and eyes nearly about to pop out. 

“What do you hear...?” Ranboo asked - almost as if he needed reassurance. Reassurance he wasn’t going crazy, and someone else could hear music too. 

“Nothing. I’m just losing it, this place brings back bad memories.” Tommy shrugged it off as Cat continuously played.

The trio were dead silent for a brief moment, desperate to find a source of the noises haunting them. None of them wanted to speak up, afraid of being ridiculed.

Conveniently, Tommy’s torch went out. At that very moment, panic struck all of them.

“D-do you guys hear that too..?” Tubbo was hesitant. Their heartbeats increased rapidly, an impending sense of doom upon each individual.

“...Shit.”

“And the three were never seen again.” Karl mumbled to himself, scribbling in his notebook. He gently placed it underneath a big poster that read “Ghost Children.” 

Satisfied, Karl tredded to his door where Sapnap waited patiently. 

“Ready to leave?” Sapnap asked, sheathing his sword. 

With a nod, they traveled back to Kinoko Kingdom. 

But not without being noticed, of course.


End file.
